or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
32 used & new from £19.94

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The British Constitution
 
 

The British Constitution (Hardcover)

by Anthony King (Author) "There was a time, not so long ago, when almost every commentator on the British constitution was agreed on one thing: that Britain's constitution, unlike..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £32.00
Price: £23.92 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £8.08 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, February 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
24 new from £19.94 8 used from £20.24

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The New British Constitution by Vernon Bogdanor

The British Constitution + The New British Constitution
Price For Both: £37.70

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The New British Constitution

The New British Constitution

by Vernon Bogdanor
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £13.78
Developments in British Politics: Bk. 8

Developments in British Politics: Bk. 8

by Patrick Dunleavy
£16.77
Constitutional Reform: Reshaping the British Political System

Constitutional Reform: Reshaping the British Political System

by Rodney Brazier
3.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £16.21
British Politics

British Politics

by Dennis Kavanagh
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £23.53
The English Constitution

The English Constitution

by Walter Bagehot
£6.76
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 428 pages
  • Publisher: OUP Oxford (1 Nov 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0199232326
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199232321
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 199,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #74 in  Books > Business, Finance & Law > Law > English > Constitutional & Administrative
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   A British Constitution opens new browser window
www.Power2010.org.uk/Constitution  -  Should There Be a Written Constitution in Britain? Vote Here.
   Fiddling with the system opens new browser window
www.youtube.com  -  Watch Eric Pickles explain why Brown wants to change how you vote
   British constitution opens new browser window
www.Ask.com  -  Find the Best Results for British constitution. Ask us!
  
 

Product Description

Review

...[an] admirable book...an addition to the great canon of learned commentaries on the British constitution. (Stein Ringen, TLS )

readable and illuminating (David Runciman, London Review of Books )

compelling new book (Philip Johnston, The Daily Telegraph )

Product Description

In the latter part of the nineteenth century Walter Bagehot wrote a classic account of the British constitution as it had developed during Queen Victoria's reign. He argued that the late Victorian constitution was not at all what people thought it was. Anthony King argues that the same is true at the beginning of this century. Most people are aware that a series of major constitutional changes has taken place, but few recognize that their cumulative effect has been to change entirely the nature of Britain's constitutional structure. The old constitution has gone. The author insists that the new constitution is a mess, but one that we should probably try to make the best of. The British Constitution is neither a reference book nor a textbook. Like Bagehot's classic, it is written with wit and mordant humour - by someone who is a journalist and political commentator as well as a distinguished academic. The author maintains that, although the new British constitution is a mess, there is no going back now. 'As always', he says, 'nostalgia is a good companion but a bad guide.' Highly charged issues that remain to be settled concern the relations between Scotland and England and the future of the House of Lords. A reformed House of Lords, the author fears, could wind up comprising 'a miscellaneous assemblage of party hacks, political careerists, clapped-out retired or defeated MPs, has-beens, never-were's and never-could-possibly-be's'. The book is a Bagehot for the twenty-first century - the product of a lifetime's reflection on British politics and essential reading for anyone interested in how the British system has changed and how it is likely to change in future.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
There was a time, not so long ago, when almost every commentator on the British constitution was agreed on one thing: that Britain's constitution, unlike the constitutions of most other countries, had evolved very gradually over time. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Bristish Constitution by Anthony King, 21 Jan 2008
By Stuart E. Hopkins (Bristol, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an intensely interesting and informative book, which should be read with care by all of those who take an interest in the ancient constitution (a constitution with a small c) and particularly in those innovations that have been introduced since 1997: a period during which constitutional change has accelerated. The book is also of interest in another sense: it describes in some detail the structure of British government, its limitations and how that structure is actually sustained. The publication of this book is certainly timely and necessary, and will remain as a comprehensive and accurate record of constitutional developments that have occurred, by design or unintentionally, in past decades - principally since the 1970s. The presentation is thematic. Each chapter, of which there are fourteen, can be read as a self-contained essay, because cross-references between one chapter and another have been kept to a minimum. The book is punctuated with anecdote and humour and that fact alone enhances its interest and readability. The style is fluent and the book has an impelling narrative drive. Professor King concludes that the British constitution is in a 'mess', but does not employ that word in its pejorative sense. He recommends that we should leave `well alone`, because any comprehensive reformulation of the constitution - creating a Constitution with a capital C - might only serve to make matters worse, even if such a Constitution could be formulated and agreed, which appears in present circumstances to be most unlikely, despite the dedication of a small number of enthusiastic devotees of a new start. Stuart E Hopkins


Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, 2 May 2009
By Mr. Brian Wing (Lincolnshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Although the British Constitution is difficult to understand by virtue of it being broadly "unwritten", Mr King explains its' development very clearly.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant book., 16 Feb 2009
What a great man Tony King is. He always seems to bring a new angle and ideas to stale or seemingly uninteresting topics.

Probably the best lecturer, writer, correspondent and all round academic to write about British politics.

This book outlines King's accumulated understanding of the topic and sets out the possibilities for the future of political life.

I find it ironic that a Canadian probably has a best understanding of the British political system, then again he probably understands the American system better than any American as well.

However if you do not have the slightest interest in politics then this book might not be for you.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
The author says the British Constitution is entrenched.
Does this mean it is lying in a ditch somewhere?
Published 14 months ago by Brendan O. Clarke

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.